About

Designed by Holger Lanz with artwork by Konstantin Vohwinkel, The Climbers is an abstract strategy game with a 3D spatial element that plays 2 to 5 players in about 45 minutes. Released in 2017 as the inaugural title of our Simply Complex® line, The Climbers has been an instant hit with families and gamers all around.

By popular demand, we are excited to offer the XL version (50% LARGER than the original!!) and the Night version which introduces 5 new player colors and can be played as a stand-alone game or combined with the original Climbers for games with up to 10 players!

The XL version weighs 15 pounds and is made of Maple and Chinese Cherry wood --- solid, hefty, and gorgeous!

Your goal is to be at a higher level than all other Climbers at the end of the game. As you climb, you may move and rotate blocks. Ladders help you scale large distances. Blocking disks prevent others from using a specific block. Use your tools wisely—and at the right time—to make the best possible moves in your climb towards victory!

On your turn, you can move any 1 unoccupied block, rotate it, and place it down anywhere in the structure. You can move your Climber upward and sideways (not diagonally or down) as far as legally possible.

The Pink Climber moves 1 block and then climbs 1 step.

If your Climber can see over the ledge, you can climb up (if the color of the surface matches your color or is the neutral surface)!

The Teal Climber is able to climb 3 steps in one move.

Any other height distances will require you to use one of your ladders. Remember, ladders are one-time use tools, so once you use one, it's removed from the game! Your Blocking Disk can be placed on any unoccupied block to prevent any player from using that block. At the start of your next turn, the Blocking disk is removed from the game.

The Yellow Climber uses their short ladder to climb and then places their Block Disk.

The game ends when all players in consecutive turns fail to move upward during their turn. The player with the Climber on a higher level than all others is the winner!

Do you own a Game Store or Game Cafe?

The Climbers XL is a perfect fit for game stores and cafes -- the game is an instant draw for customers! Check out #TheClimbers on social media to see how much fun friends and family have been enjoying the game:

Due to the physical size and weight (15 pounds) of The Climbers XL, we can only offer 1 copy per pledge level.

We have partnered with fulfillment centers in the above regions (EU, USA, Canada, and Australia) to reduce your shipping costs as much as possible. This includes ensuring you don’t pay VAT in the above regions. As the shipments depart the manufacturing facility and begin their journey to the fulfillment centers, some locations will receive and be ready to ship to backers sooner than others. Our goal is to fulfill all orders at the same time.

The Climbers: Night Version

Size Comparison

Below are some pictures comparing the regular version of The Climbers and The Climbers XL.

Imperfections

The manufacturing process for this product is extremely labor intensive. Please be aware that due to the manufacturing process and packaging of the wooden blocks, slight imperfections are possible on various pieces. This could be a combination of paint overlapping the edges, small missing paint spots due to minor indentations in the wooden blocks, and not perfectly square edges. We are coordinating with the factory to minimize any potential for imperfections. If this is of a concern to you, please do not back this project.

Examples of possible imperfections

Holger Lanz - Game Designer

Holger was born in Frankfurt and grew up traveling all around Europe and North Africa with his family. His childhood experiences mirror his life today, as he still loves to travel and learn more about the history of his destinations. He is fond of architecture, art, and even has a bit of photography experience due to his natural eye for stunning shots. The Climbers is the first game he designed, although he still enjoys inventing and working on older game concepts. In his spare time, Holger plays one of his 1200 retro Nintendo games, listens to music, watches fantasy and action movies, and of course takes delight in tabletop board games. He currently lives in Germany with his better half, Antje.

Konstantin Vohwinkel - Illustrations

Konstantin is a freelance illustrator and concept artist with a focus in the video and board game field. He also has an interest in fantasy science fiction and children’s illustrations. He has studied game and communication designs in Berlin, Germany. Other board game illustrations Konstantin is known for include Vanuatu, Keyflower, Key to the City: London, and Xanadu.

Clay Ross - Publisher

Clay started Capstone Games in 2015 as an avenue to make hard to find heavy Euro games widely available throughout the world. In 2017, Clay created Simply Complex®, a new line of games that feature wooden components, low rules overhead, and complex strategies while playing in under one hour. The original version of The Climbers was the first title in the Simply Complex® line.

Risks and challenges

Capstone Games has produced 10 games since its inception in 2015. We are partnered with professionals for the manufacturing, shipping, and fulfillment of The Climbers XL. We take our business very seriously and will be fully transparent with you throughout the life of this project. We are experienced in the possible delays that can happen at the factory and during shipping. If there are delays of any kind, they will be communicated to you immediately.

All facets of the game are finished and ready to be sent to the manufacturer in order to start production.

Thank you again for your support of The Climbers XL and Capstone Games!